A Facebook post by Undersheriff Raymond Duke encouraged people to give to a fund to help the Pearl officer, who is moving to Rankin County because he no longer feels safe in his home on Dardanelle Street in south Jackson.

"The feeling of security and comfort will forever be changed for Officer (Alfred) Jenkins and his family. Part of that change includes moving to another area where he can hopefully regain a feeling of safety. Officer Jenkins would never solicit help from others, but now is the time for others to lend a helping hand to Officer Jenkins. The attack left most of the Jenkins' living room and bedroom destroyed. TVs, furnishings, and memorabilia, were all destroyed. Let's show Officer Jenkins our support by making a donation to a fund setup by Pearl PD for the Jenkins," Duke wrote.

"Tuesday night some cowardly punks committed a 'hate crime' against one of Pearl PD's finest. It doesn't appear race was an issue, so let's dismiss that before we go further," he wrote. "Pearl Officer Alfred Jenkins and his wife were inside their South Jackson home when criminals fired in excess of twenty rounds into their residence."

While Jackson police said it wasn't immediately evident whether the house was targeted because it's inhabited by a police officer, Duke and most of the Rankin County law enforcement community think it is. Other posts on Facebook point to a belief that the Pearl officer was targeted because of a police pursuit that led from Pearl into Jackson on Tuesday afternoon. Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance said that isn't clear at this point either.

Jenkins was not involved in that chase.

Duke said anyone who wants to donate to help the Jenkins may call Pearl Police Department at 601-939-7000 and ask for Sgt. Brown.